Deck 16: Employee Stock Options

Question 1

Which of the following hypotheses was supported by empirical research covering the 1995 to 2002 period?

A) The grant date for executive stock options tended to be when the stock price is high
B) The grant date for executive stock options tended to be when the stock price is low
C) The grant date for executive stock options tended to be after a growth spurt in the stock price
D) The was no relationship between the timing of grants and the stock price

Answer 1

B
Empirical research showed that the grant date was a low point for the stock price.This was used as evidence for backdating.

Question 2

Which of the following was true about employee stock options prior to 1995?

A) The options never had any affect on a company's financial statements
B) The value of options which were at-the-money when issued had to be expensed on the income statement
C) The value of options which were at-the-money when issued had to be reported in the notes to the financial statements
D) Options which were at-the-money when issued did not affect a company's financial statements

Answer 2

D
Options which were at the money were assumed to have no cost to a company prior to 1995.

Question 3

Which of the following is true about the practice of backdating a stock options grant?

A) It is illegal
B) It is illegal in the majority of states in the U.S., but not all states
C) It is illegal in roughly half the states in the U.S.
D) It is unethical, but not illegal

Answer 3

A
Backdating is illegal

Question 4

Which of the following defines the vesting period?

A) The period during which employee stock options can be exercised
B) The period during which the options are issued
C) The period during which the strike price of the options equals the stock price
D) The period during which employee stock options cannot be exercised

Question 5

What term is used to describe losses shareholders experience because the interests of managers are not aligned with their own?

A) Agency costs
B) Backdating scandals
C) Dilution
D) Income statement expense

Question 6

Employee stock options are particularly popular with start ups because

A) They encourage employees to work hard
B) The start up cannot afford to pay high salaries
C) The risk associated with the company's success is shared with employees.
D) All of the above

Question 7

Which of the following is true?

A) An employee stock option is usually held to maturity
B) An employee stock option tends to be exercised earlier than a traded option with the same terms
C) An employee stock options tends to be exercised later than a traded option with the same terms
D) Employee stock options are usually exercised as early as possible

Question 8

Which of the following strategies makes no sense?

A) An employee exercises stock options early and sells the stock. No dividends are expected
B) An employee exercises stock options early and keeps the stock. No dividends are expected
C) An employee exercises stock options early and sells the stock. Dividends are expected
D) An employee exercises stock options early and keeps the stock. Dividends are expected.

Question 9

A company surprises the market with an announcement that it has granted stock options to senior executives.The options are exercised four years later.When does dilution take place?

A) Dilution takes place when the options are exercised
B) Dilution takes place on the announcement date
C) Dilution takes place gradually over the four years
D) There is no dilution

Question 10

When an employee leaves the company which of the following is usually true?

A) All outstanding employee stock options are forfeited
B) Out-of the money employee stock options are forfeited
C) All options which have vested are forfeited
D) All options are retained

Question 11

Which of the following was true after 2005?

A) The options never had any affect on a company's financial statements
B) The value of options which were at-the-money when issued had to be expensed on the income statement
C) The value of options which were at-the-money when issued had to be reported in the notes to the financial statements
D) Options which were at-the-money when issued did not affect a company's financial statements

Question 12

When an employee stock option is exercised,which of the following is usually true?

A) The employee pays the market price for the shares and the company refunds the difference between the market price and the strike price
B) The company or the company's agent buys stock in the market for the employee
C) The company issues more shares and sells them to the employee for the strike price
D) The employee cannot immediately sell the shares

Question 13

Which of the following increases the expected life of employee stock options?

A) An increase in the vesting period
B) An increase in employee turnover
C) A fast growth rate for the stock price
D) A tendency for employees to exercise earlier than in the past

Question 14

Which of the following ensures that managers are rewarded only when a company performs better than its competitors?

A) A constant strike price for executive stock options
B) A strike price that increases with time
C) A strike price that changes in line with an index of stock prices
D) A strike price that is tied to reported profit

Question 15

Which of the following is true about employee stock options after they have been issued?

A) They have to be revalued every year
B) They have to be revalued every quarter
C) They have to be revalued every day like other derivatives
D) They never have to be revalued

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT usually true about employee stock options?

A) There is a vesting period
B) They can be sold to other employees
C) They are often at-the-money when issued
D) Their value is currently a charge to the income statement

Question 17

When a CEO has employee stock options,he or she is in theory motivated to do which of the following?

A) Take more risk
B) Take less risk
C) Buy some of the company's stock
D) None of the above

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT true?

A) Management has an incentive to issue executive stock options after bad news
B) Management has an incentive to issue executive stock options before good news
C) Executive stock options encourage management to pursue strategies that are best for the company in the long run
D) Management have an incentive to time the announcement of good news just before they plan to exercise their stock options

Question 19

Which of the following are true of employee stock options?

A) They are commonly valued as though they are regular American options
B) They are commonly valued as though they are regular American options, but with a reduced life.
C) They are commonly valued as though they are regular European option
D) They are commonly valued as though they are regular European options but with a reduced life.

Question 20

Which of the following was true about employee stock options between 1996 and 2004?

A) The options never had any affect on a company's financial statements
B) The value of options which were at-the-money when issued had to be expensed on the income statement
C) The value of options which were at-the-money when issued had to be reported in the notes to the financial statements
D) Options which were at-the-money when issued did not affect a company's financial statements